The Setting
A Brief History of Chicago "Chicago isn't corrupt. It's Passionate. Genuine. Willing to do whatever it takes to be the city it wants to be... and corrupt." -Maxwell Clarke, Prince of Chicago Chicago has always been a dynamic city. From its beginnings as Fort Dearborn, the Fort Dearborn Massacre, the Chicago fire of 1871, Pullman, the World's Columbian Exposition, becoming a hub of trade and transport across the United States, and on down to the modern nights, the city has teemed with life and explosive energy. Chicago has been groundbreaking in its methodologies, technologies (the reversal of the river, for one), and the pacts that its supernatural denizens have with one another. The Second City is a place that used to be filled with various supernatural entities. The paranormal landscape of Chicago may have shifted, changed, and evolved over time, but it has never been dull or quiet. Vampires rule the night, their influences spreading into mortal realms, keeping some neighborhoods destitute in order to provide easier feeding, or having police react just slowly enough so that a botched feeding in the rack or the back of an alleyway can be covered up by the Sheriff and his people. The Mages of the city go about their own business, keeping in mind the pacts they have made with the city's Prince and others. The Uratha stalk their territories and agreed-upon neighborhoods, striking out at all those who dare cross into their land uninvited or unannounced. It has been a dangerous place. But for much of this time, since Maxwell Clarke has taken the seat of Princedom, the city has been at peace. Pacts were kept and honored, the Tranquility was enforced to keep the peace among the undead, and the kindred of the city respected the power structure in place. Or so it all seemed. But, that appearance has been enough for Maxwell to reign uncontested. Maxwell first came to power in 1965, but an unfortunate bout of torpor ended his first reign in 1969. He was suceeded by Jaquiline Edens, a Carthian Daeva (also known as The Matriarch), until her practices and leeway given to the kindred under her rule caused a conspiracy between the Invictus and Lancea Sanctum to bring about her downfall and reinstitute Maxwell Clarke as the Prince of the city. No one quite knows what became of the Matriarch, only that no one has seen her since Maxwell reclaimed his throne. He has been Prince ever since. Under his reign the city has flourished. His rules, though difficult for some, have allowed for the city to become a safe haven for kindred of every covenant. Yes, inter-covenant strife occurs as it always will, but the Tranquility, and Maxwell's draconian punishments, have prevented many deaths and have helped keep the kindred populace from straining the mortal inhabitants of Chicago. The Scourging "Hell has been described as a pocket edition of Chicago." -Ashley Montagu, "The American Way of Life," 1967 What has become to be called The Scourging occured in the spring and summer of 2012. It started small, as all catastrophic things seem to, with the whispered presence of Belial's Brood and a few kindred disappearances in the outskirts of the city. Things did not remain small for long, however. According to rumor, the Brood began to actually infiltrate the Covenants of the City, finding home in the Carthians, Circle of the Crone, the Invictus, and even the Lancea Sanctum. Only the Ordo Dracul seemed safe of infiltration when the dust had settled, and many half-spoken words attest this to Norris' watchful eye. In the late Spring, things began to... happen in the city. More kindred began to vanish, sporadic fires started across the city, certain kindred began to report seeing black-winged spirits with orange eyes following them out of the corner of their vision, and the threat of VII came to the city in the form of two prominent murders: Sylvia Raines of the Lancea Sanctum, and Duce Carter of the Carthians. Some more conspiracy-minded kindred assumed this was the work of Maxwell and Solomon Birch moving behind the scenes to eradicate upstarts, but these rumors were quickly quashed by the evidence at the scene and eye-witness accounts. By May, the city was on edge. There was a nigh tangible aura of anticipation over the city, as if all the kindred were waiting for the other shoe to drop. And drop it did. In June, Belial's Brood arranged a massive Hellraising. They swept through the city, avoiding the main areas of kindred concentration, and began shattering the Masquerade. What the Brood sought to prompt is unknown, but in the night of terror, nearly 200 people were killed in horrific fashion. As the first reports went out, Norris, the Sheriff of the city, set into motion contingency plans, calling across the spectrum of the city's supernatural denizens. Simultaneously, he had the Hounds round up and detain all those new kindred who had arrived in the city, whose background checks were still pending. The Hounds found seven members of Belial's Brood. Fights took place all over the city as the Brood fought the Prince's Hounds. As the other supernaturals took to the streets, other problems arose. The Uratha spoke of ancient spirits awakening, prodded by some dark, winged spirits. Fires erupted all over the city as the remnants of the Spirit of the Chicago Fire began to awaken and consume once more. In the chaos, VII struck again, slicing through the ranks of the kindred as if they had been waiting and studying their opponents for years. The city was on the verge of organizational collapse by the end of the night. Fully half of the kindred occupants lie as ash and the city burned around them. June and July were enforced periods of silence from the kindred as they sought to assess the damage. Mortal and other authorities began repairing the damage by the fires, but still more erupted here and there, oddly claiming the havens of numerous kindred the city over. The Ventrue elder, Tobias Hastings, called on Maxwell to enlist new Hounds to replace those lost and to secure the city before it was lost. As the two Invictus quarelled, the Lacea Sanctum, Ordo Dracul, and Circle of the Crone were assasinated. Solomon Birch, Rowan, and even Norris are among those lost, crippling the Prince's information network and support system. As attention turned to find the attackers, the Cartians and Invictus were struck. Very few made it out alive. Maxwell and Tobias made a hasty truce and sent out their allies to protect the rest of the city. By the dawn of August's first day, each Covenant had lost its leadership and the vast majority of its members. In response, the Unaligned made massive grabs of land and territory. With the Prince unable to enforce his established grounds and kindred missing from their own domains, Maxwell was forced to acknowledge the new boundaries. The city is now suffering from a massive power vacuum, and with the Prince's Tranquility, embrace is not much of an option--leading to the influx of numerous new kindred. While Maxwell is aware that the balance of power could very well shift out of his favor, he keeps a stern eye on the new arrivals, looking for those who would threaten him or his city.